Audiences
My future audience for the Exhibition ,had we been planning to show at college, will probably be different to the audience that we are going to get with the online site. Access to this is going to be considerably wider than people coming in to Campus to view . It is going to be open to much more audience participation and they can come and go as they wish , dipping in and looking and then coming back later when they have more time . Instead of just one visit to the campus and maybe not visiting again this allows far more options .As the site is online there is a possibility that people including youngster will take a look. Particularly if they are interested in art or maybe the gaming elements that will be on the Art Pandemic site too .
It also means that what ever the time is across the world someone will be able to visit and take a walk around the site .
With a time difference of 9 hours ahead of us my daughter in Melbourne Australia will not be keen to be up and watching the evening preview of the AP site , but might well consider it later in her day whilst we are all asleep.
Can or should Audiences by Categorized ?
From the couch potato who will sit in front of the TV and watch anything because it is on
The people who live for Sport programmes, from Football to Motor racing ,Cricket to Darts
Those who like Game shows, Reality programmes , eg . Love Island ,Strictly, Come Dancing shows that are possibly made for a mass audience and with the lowest common denominator, all about which TV Company can get the highest ratings , Britain has Talent, Big Brother, the list seems to be endless these days and Saturday night TV which might have been the highlight of the week once upon a time seems to be so dire that I never watch. Perhaps audiences should also be broken down to age perhaps I have grown out of this type of show but if I was 40 years longer I would watch it because probably all my friends would be too and other than discussing kids and families it gives people a talking point Personally, I do not watch ,because I am not interested , but perhaps to the population at large will watch because it is are on and gives you something to talk about at work the next day .
The Soaps Coronation Street , EastEnders again these don’t interest me, but they have a huge following so again you are satisfying an audience need . I don’t watch as I was told by my mother, “you didn’t need to watch kitchen sink drama as life could be drab enough without having to watch it on TV. “
I prefer documentaries, history, travel. nature programmes where you can learn something from what’s being shown. One of my favourite programmes this year was Art of the Image with Dr. James Fox which was shown over a four-week period, informative and enjoyable to watch. There are some personalities who are very good at getting their information over to you without preaching the cause.
Film Buffs the various genres, some will go for the gory, murder ,war films police/detective/ car chase story lines others for sentimental, comedy, true story, animations, and children’s films.
Live theatre, dance, pop concerts e.g. Glastonbury can draw another kind of audience, as well as where we are coming to now those who visit museums, Art galleries and hopefully an Art Exhibition online .
It depends where your interest lies to what you will visit and enjoy. I got my husband to take me to the Salvador Dali Museum in Figueres, Spain, I loved it he hated it, possibly because he doesn’t like big crowds, having to wait for an hour to get in queuing in the sun although we had arrived reasonably early. It drew people of all ages , but then you have a known name , which adds that much more to an exhibition than say Joe Bloggs . I imagine that the people who will visit our exhibition are going to be family and friends initially and then hopefully after that people who are interested in Art , Photography and the Guest exhibitors, so would most probably be people who would visit a local art show, and then stumble across my page out of interest, very unpredictable to gauge the result.
I would like my exhibition to appeal to a wider audience across the age span as we have all been in this together and until I get further feedback after the show, I am finding it difficult to know what to expect. Feedback that I have received so far has all been very positive with a variety of images chosen, so far, the ice sculptures haven’t done maybe as well as I hoped. I had expected maybe for the novelty aspect alone that might have drawn comments about them but there is still time and in a couple of days I might have a clearer picture. It has helped to erase doubts that I had when I set out on this journey .
I have included here my webpage, previously written this year to audience theory and on this website.
https://30052450.wixsite.com/mysite/audience-theory
Critical Evaluation
The preparation and run up to the Final Exhibition has been fraught and full of difficulties due to the World Wide Pandemic. With the closure of college and access to items that might have made easier . I had to have a change in direction from what I was orginally going to tackle to the produce a snapshot of my local area in lockdown .
I am my hardest taskmasters and often critical of my own work. I had real doubt over what I should produce for the exhibition thinking I should be doing something which required a lot of processing in Photoshop to make it worth my while ,to show that I had learnt something from my time at college, but in reflection, there is nothing wrong with having straightforward photography which in this case I hope has a narrative to it.
Generally speaking, I am happy with the set of images I have produced ; it has been difficult with the restrictions on travel to go further afield than a 2 miles radius.
I took my camera everyday went I went out, just on the off chance that some extraordinary might happen, The new images I have produced have mostly been take on sunny days, I think this emphasizes how empty and deserted the town was, as good weather always brings people out to enjoy themselves. I found Paignton with people queuing for the shops very eerie, almost stood like statues, very sombre, no communication between them . Of all the new images Jim sat on the drive with his new baby daughter in his arms talking to his mum on their phones has for me captured the moment, the reality of families being separated and in his mums case, on the at risk register has made it even harder for her, with no chance to go to the shops, or even for a drive. I included 2 of my granddaughters , using their images from my Portraiture module. Alicia should have been with us for 2 months here to study, Lockdown got in the way, Sophia is due to be with us, hopefully lockdown will be out of the way. Again, it tells how families have been separated .
The ice making process, was the trickiest part of my work , it went well although I had to remake some of the ice pieces as they melted very quickly and the little people fell out ,photographing and getting them to stay long enough in groups to take a shot before they melted, fell over or slid away meant I had to work very fast to get my result. Overall, I am not disappointed at the effect produced.
My older images are from previous modules and have stood the test already particularly, the funeral images as they have fitted very well with the pandemic and the numbers of people who have died from the Virus or associated illness. The sunrise and the moon I wanted to show that regardless of what happens to the population here on earth, it matters not whether we are here, the seasons will still continue .Life will still go on; we are but a tiny blip in creation.
Some of my uploaded mages to the Art Pandemic site are missing I assumed, too many, neither have they gone in the order I required . I culled some to get images that I felt were important to be included. I now am left with 50 on the site. I would have preferred to number them but with the uncertainty of how the site would react, I decided to leave well alone. They images have a statement beneath them explaining why they were chosen, and I hope this adds to explain my thinking
I sent out a very small basic question survey to try and gauge my audience reaction to the images using the page from my website . I did not ask too much; you lose their interest . Already I have had some replies, some more detailed than others and I will need to check to see whether there is a common theme or whether everyone’s answer is different. Some have given quite detailed replies, and these are the more interesting ones.
A reply from Tony Weaver stating that some images were much better than others, I agree, he discussed the merits of the ones that he liked and suggested what would I pick if I only had 6 to choose from, that certainly makes it difficult. Of the ones he chose, they have been picked out by other people too. I probably have too many images but needed them to give a better overall picture .
From the survey so far, I am surprised that more has not been said about the Ice Sculptures, it would seem that the Ice tree has been popular maybe this is because you basically have 2 colours white and blue and is a very crisp shot. As a Front Cover Shot this is someone else saying it is good enough to be featured and I am very proud of it.
I had no feedback from the exhibition and am disappointed. However, I have not relied on this solely and searched out my own responses. I used family, friends, my Tutors, and Karyn Easton another lecturer, I contacted her through Slack on the Saturday, she was kind enough to respond and confirmed to some extent what I knew about my images, but she really liked the frozen hearts, which maybe is my favourite. It has something about it which for me works, whether it is the way the colours ran or the way I shot it with the lighting, I do not know if I could replicate it.
Looking at Karen’s responses to me I would have definitely looked at attempting a time lapse video of the ice melting and the little figures being released from the lock in as opposed to lockdown . It was something I hadn’t even considered although with the last image,’ Help get me out of here ‘I had one figure sat onto of the ice, you can be too close to what you are working on to see what is right in front of your eyes . You can also see the ice melting as I hadn’t mopped it up before photographing which adds to the effect.
I had feedback on the ice money which made Sarah think on personal finance and the economy of the country and she liked the statements I produced for each image. I think these were important to let visitors to the site know where I was coming from and more importantly where perhaps I was going. I do hope this came across .
If I were to attempt something similar again, I would sit down and plan better. I think there is something of a panic element here. Being up against time, restricted to where and what I could do. Motivation became a nightmare, needing to get 3 other modules finished during lockdown but working online pushed the limits. My hope of attracting younger people to the site didn’t work, but possibly due to me not pushing enough with publishing the site details sufficiently
Received responses to my exhibition
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Positive, and to how lockdown was portrayed
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Limited to certain images which makes me wonder whether all of them were required
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Tended to be over 40 years old responding only 1 under 30, Chloe
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Local images , the pier, beach, sunrise seemed to resonate especially with those outside the bay
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Only one picked a funeral images Tony
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The ice sculptures featured more than I thought and worked well for different people, with the hearts, money and little people featured in repsonses
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I think one of my strengths is I can work alone, but interaction with others is neccesary as suggested by Karens thoughts on a timelapse video, to bounce ideas of each other. Isolation can affect the thinking processes.
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My weakness maybe jumping in head first and working how to get out afterwards , but by and large I usually have a rescue plan for myself.
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Looking at the numbers that the preview and countries attracted it is still not possible to gauge whether visitors took a look or perhaps people who themselves were exhibiting . Some method of adding feedback would have been useful other than Slack as not all exhibitors joined .
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I needed extra outside feedback to be more objective, I love the positives but need a negative to add balance , to see where I can improve and do better
People have responded to my questions the way I expected. I didn’t want to make them too difficult or obscure, or to lead them on, to give an answer that I might like .I tried to remain neutral . Photography is a very subjective subject, you can either like or dislike a an image like Marmite love it or hate it.
I asked 3 others to comment on my site Julie Brandon from the Artizan Gallery Torquay, for some reason she didn’t receive the invite to the preview even though I included her email to college , Sam from the SW Collective A Plymouth Uni graduate in Photography .He works in conjunction with Artizan Gallery .A neighbour, I think he might have forgotten although I did remind him and ask for his cousin Martin Procter‘s email as he is a well know artist . You just have to accept that perhaps they were not interested although Sam did say he would take a look.
Taking everything into account, I believe I achieved quite well, acknowledged not everything was spot on ,made the best use of what was to hand. In difficult circumstances that is all you can do. (1645)
Bibliography and feedback responses to my questions .
Ness 1.
1.Did you enjoy or like the images presented? Yes, I liked the images you presented – they gave a useful insight into the last few months and how the world has changed during that time. It will be interesting to see how society and history portray this pandemic in times to come.
2. Did you have a favourite(s) image Paignton Pier on Easter Day is my favourite image. It looks so calm and peaceful. It reminds me of how lucky we are to live in this beautiful area and how easy it is to take it all for granted.
3. What worked well The Ice Tree photograph is stunning.
4.Where in the world are you situated Torbay
5. I what age group do you belong please mark with a cross
Up to 20 years
20-30
30-40
40-50
50-60 X
60 years and above
Any other comments I think the range of photographs you showcased captured the feel of how the world has changed during the last few months. I particularly like the scenery ones and the portraits of your grandchildren
Anna 2.
Hi Jane I couldn’t enter answers on your questionnaire, but here they are
1 Yes fabulous Photos
2 sunrise over Torbay
3 the vivid colour of the sun
4 UK
5 Over 60
Well done Jane amazing work
Angela 3.
1.Did you enjoy or like the images presented?
Yes
2. Did you have a favourite(s) image
All the ice images, especially “Frozen in Time” and in particular I loved the “Frozen Words” with the meaning done through gaps, for example symbolising “social distancing”, i.e. the letters are further apart or the letter “d” in the word “employed” has slightly fallen off, symbolising falling through the social net. Very clever as poetry and imagery are combined.
3. What worked well
All photographs that portray a certain atmosphere worked well. I love the photo “Railway Station”. For me it epitomises the emptiness and the lack of human beings in a time of the virus pandemic. I love the composition and the colour of the picture and the atmosphere it creates.
4.Where in the world are you situated
Switzerland
5. I what age group do you belong please mark with a cross
Up to 20 years
20-30
30-40
40-50 x
50-60
60 years and above
Any other comments
It is amazing to see the diversity of imagery and techniques this photographer displays.
Ralph 4.
1.Did you enjoy or like the images presented?
Yes
2. Did you have a favourite(s) image
Ice hearts
3. What worked well
Ice
60 years and above x
Any other comments
Swell done Jane
Simon 5.
1Did you enjoy or like the images presented?
Yes
2. Did you have a favourite(s) image
Frozen in time + New baby + Paignton Pier + Harriet
3. What worked well
Thoughts and colours
4.Where in the world are you situated
Switzerland
5. I what age group do you belong please mark with a cross
Up to 20 years
20-30
30-40
40-50 x
50-60
60 years and above
Any other comments
Use Survey Monkey next time :)
Terri 6.
1.Did you enjoy or like the images presented? Yes. Frozen images made me think about the corona experience from a different point of view. I have been so busy with learning quilting, gardening, remote teaching, etc. that my experience has not been frozen. The photos made me appreciate the "lost time" reality.
2. Did you have a favourite(s) image Harriet, Beach Huts, Paignton Pier.
3. What worked well
Harriet: use of space ( positive vs negative) line created by her arm leading to her hat, reflection, emotional longing
Beach Huts: Color, point of perspective, emotional anticipation, loss
Paignton Pier: Juxtaposition of light vs dark, horizontal vs vertical, open space vs shape repetition (ocean vs rocks) emotional peace
4.Where in the world are you situated
Rhode Island, USA
5. I what age group do you belong please mark with a cross above 60
Up to 20 years
20-30
30-40
40-50
50-60
60 years and above
Any other comments
Thanks for sharing. I love your photography. Best wishes, Teri
Tony Weaver 7.
1.Did you enjoy or like the images presented?
They vary in quality. Some are very good.
2. Did you have a favourite(s) image
Yes, the ’Ice Tree’ and the ‘Reed Beds’ shots were out of the ordinary and more interesting than the more conventional. Also, the old favourite ‘Stark Reality’.
3. What worked well
The shots above would promote a second look from the audience due to your particular way of interpretation.
4.Where in the world are you situated
Exeter, UK
5. I what age group do you belong please mark with a cross
60 years and above
Any other comments
If you had to edit down these to six. I wonder how you would choose. What makes one photo better than another? Grouping them into similar subjects would help audiences unravel their disparate meanings.
The ‘Mackerel’ for its use of rhythm and texture.
‘Harriet’ for its universality (no face) and positivity.
The ‘Reed Beds’ for its abstract, dreamlike qualities.
‘Stark Reality’ is a winner because it works on many levels. I particularly like the way it’s been taken ;it sucks you in to face the inevitable.
Sarah 8.
1.Did you enjoy or like the images presented? yes
2. Did you have a favourite(s) the frozen in time Hearts and Sunrise over Torbay.
3. What worked well - all the ice Sculptures, very creative
4.Where in the world are you situated - Australia
5. I what age group do you belong please mark with a cross
Up to 20 years
Sarah 8
20-30
30-40
40-50 Yes
50-60
60 years and above
Any other comments - the variety of photos
John 9
1.Did you enjoy or like the images presented?
Yes very much
2. Did you have a favourite(s) image
The Ice Tree
3. What worked well
The stark relief of the tree against the blue-sky background
4.Where in the world are you situated
Canada
5. I what age group do you belong please mark with a cross
Up to 20 years
20-30
30-40
40-50
50-60
60 years and above x
Any other comments
CJ 10
1.Did you enjoy or like the images presented?
Yes
2. Did you have a favourite(s) image
Yes, the Ice Tree
3.. What worked well
The Ice Cubes etc
4.Where in the world are you situated
Paignton
5. I what age group do you belong please mark with a cross
Up to 20 years
20-30
30-40
40-50
50-60
60 years and above x
Any other comments
You obviously spent a lot of time taking and editing you well produced photos
Chris Matthews 11.
1.Did you enjoy or like the images presented?
Yes, I think there is a very broad range of striking imagery here.
2. Did you have a favourite(s) image
Yes- Help me get out of here.
3. What worked well
I felt this was the strongest image and had some very relevant themes considering recent events.
4.Where in the world are you situated
Torbay
5. I what age group do you belong please mark with a cross
Up to 20 years
20-30
30-40
40-50 x
50-60
60 years and above
Any other comments
There’s a such a broad range on display from portraiture to experimental work with a broad range of photographic skills used. A very strong portfolio in my opinion!
Lynne Andrews 12.
1.Did you enjoy or like the images presented? Yes
2. Did you have a favourite(s) image £20 note & models of people frozen.
3. What worked well – The Frozen in Time images work particularly well and capture the essence of the moment.
4.Where in the world are you situated - UK
5. I what age group do you belong please mark with a cross
Up to 20 years
20-30
30-40
40-50
50-60
60 years and above x
Any other comments – There is a really good selection of images on your site. The Frozen in Time particularly stand out for me as it is a unique way of conveying the moment.
Chloe 13.
1.Did you enjoy or like the images presented?
Yes I did. I felt that they all worked really well
2. Did you have a favourite(s) image
For me, the light at the end of tunnel was my favourite images. It almost gives hope that this pandemic will come to an end at some point. I also really like the new baby and grandma because it really shows the reality that a lot of families are facing at the moment and as someone that isn’t able to go and see my grandparents, I feel like I can really relate to that image.
3. What worked well
There are lots of different of image types it’s not all just frozen images. I think this works really well because you’ve explored loads of different types of photography which shows creativity. I also really like how you have shown the reality of the pandemic.
4.Where in the world are you situated
Devon
5. I what age group do you belong please mark with a cross
Up to 20 years x
20-30
30-40
40-50
50-60
60 years and above
Any other comments
Sarah Kettle Buchannan 14
1.Did you enjoy or like the images presented?
Yes I enjoyed the images and the captions.
2. Did you have a favourite(s) image
Yes, the first image, very thoughtful and clever method to demonstrate the feel and mood of the country during the lock down.
3. What worked well
Freezing the £20 note and the reflection it cast I found deeply thought provoking, it makes you stop and consider the impact lockdown has had on your own personal finances but also that of the economy.
4.Where in the world are you situated
South Devon, England.
5. I what age group do you belong please mark with a cross
Up to 20 years
20-30
30-40
40-50 - X
50-60
60 years and above
Any other comments
Excellent journey through these unprecedented times. Very thought provoking. You have successfully managed to capture the feelings and emotions and behaviours during lockdown.
Karyn Easton 15
1). Did you enjoy the images presented?
Yes, I felt that the images of deserted streets provided good documentary evidence of what the lockdown was like without people around. There were improvements that could have made your imagery more dramatic, for example use of Photoshop Camera Raw processing and adhering to some of the photography compositional rules such as leading lines etc. However overall I felt that as a set of images it all hung together well. The ice experiments were particularly interesting.
Did you have a favourite image?
Yes, I really liked the frozen hearts. The colours worked very well and to me this was like hearts frozen in time by the lockdown.
Where in the world are you situated?
I live in Brixham in the UK
What age group do you belong?
50-60
I hope that my feedback helps? I really would have liked to have helped you time lapse your figures and hearts melting but maybe this could be something you could try this weekend if you have time? If you need any other help or advice, please give me a shout and if I’m about I’d love to help.
Karyn :-)
You can try and that is all , maybe in a couple of days too late for commentary but I have quite a few so won’t worry .
Julie Brandon <juliebrandon@artizangallery.co.uk>
Sat, Jun 20, 12:11 PM (1 day ago)
to me
Hello Jane
I never got the invite and had planned to do your questionnaire after.
Hope it went okay.
Best Wishes
Julie
The inserted details here come from my Facebook Photorgraphy page and looking at the numbers who have seen the post in the last few days. However not one of them has bothered to either take a look or do the survey. I suppose there is nothing in it for them and if I had been offering a prize the story might have been different. I also found another couple of people that I would have liked to included on the website for research from the Art Pandemic Web Site
Again photographers
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Jon Bond , I thought he had some very interesting and clever images
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Karyn Easton I loved her oil and bubbles. They would have been such a good idea to tackle for my Experimental Images and right on the doorstep too.
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Bob Hollas Black and white images from LA
I believe I achieved what I set out to do, which was to show the emptiness, and how quiet everywhere became duing lockdown and how compliant people were in the early days . However I had noticed by early May more cars were appearing on the roads and more people about.
